Economic Justice

Our Work

By most measures, the United States is a country of wealth and abundance. Yet, for many people, the U.S. economy isn’t working. In the richest country in the world, everyone should be able to eat three meals a day, have a roof over his or her head, and access health care. In addition, everyone should have opportunities to learn, work, and grow. A just economy is built on this foundation of economic stability and opportunity.

The Trump administration recently approved plans to impose work requirements on people relying on Medicaid in Kentucky and Indiana and seems poised to do the same for at least eight other states. Based on my experiences as an attorney and law professor representing low-income clients in Indiana, I can assure you that many people will fall through the cracks.

After struggling for months to agree upon a budget outline, in the early morning hours of February 9, Congress passed the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018. While there were some major disappointments in that budget deal, namely the huge increases to defense spending and the failure to address Dreamers, there were also some notable wins, particularly for a few key domestic policy priorities.

As Congress plans their legislative goals for the year, we’ve heard certain elected leaders mention that they want to achieve “welfare reform” in 2018. While the term may sound harmless, in reality it acts as a vehicle for elected officials to strip benefits from those who rely on government programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Medicaid.